Nebraska Basketball: 3 keys for home matchup with Duquesne Dukes

Defense

Fred Hoiberg can be quoted as saying “Defense needs to be our constant every night.”  So far that has proven to be true. Nebraska enters the game against the Dukes as one of the best defensive teams in the country. Nebraska has yet to allow 65 points and there are points in games when it is going to be darn near impossible to score on Nebraska inside. Interior defense is something that has plagued the Huskers under Hoiberg and has lost them games in the past. This season transfer Rienk Mast and Josiah Allick have provided a huge spark to the interior of the defense.

Allick on the floor has provided some of the best defense in the country on a per 100 possessions basis. Nebraska allows 69.3 points per 100 possessions when Allick is on the floor vs 102.3 points per 100 possessions when he is off the floor. Those numbers are eye popping and with Mast and Allick on the floor together I am sure it is much higher than that. Those two guys already joined a roster that had great individual defenders in Juwan Gary who can defend 1 through 5 and is asked to do that a lot and point guard Jamarques Lawrence who takes guys out of games. I expect Lawrence and Gary to be tasked with trying to shut down Dae Dae Grant for the Dukes.

Nebraska has yet to allow a team to shoot over 40% from the floor on them. Teams struggle to shoot over 30% on them as the Huskers come in allowing teams to shoot 33% from the floor and 23% from deep. Add that into a team that never fouls and is one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country and it’s the makings of an elite defense.

Sure, Nebraska has not played a great level of competition so far, but in their last game against a power 5 team in Oregon State. The Huskers dialed up their defense in the middle of the first half and held Oregon State scoreless for 10 minutes and went on a 20-0 run to turn a close game into a laugher.  The strange part about the defensive intensity for Nebraska is that they have not been turning teams over but with as good as they are rebounding, they use those rebounds to get out in transition and get easy baskets.

The defense will need to continue to be elite and make the Dukes uncomfortable for the Huskers to have the best chance at winning. Nebraska contests everything and is quick in their closeouts. The Dukes will be lucky to have an open look most of the night.